I’m a teacher by choice — Stella Gyimaah Larbi

The youngest teacher to win the coveted national Most Outstanding Teacher award at 34 years, since the inception of the teacher awards in the country, Stella Gyimaah Larbi (SGL), last week Thursday, October 20, 2022, granted an interview to the Regional Page Editor of the Daily Graphic, Edmund Smith-Asante (ESA).

The conversation centred on the award she won, teaching in the country and its challenges, her experience as a basic school teacher and her aspirations among other things. Below are excerpts of the interview.

Edmund Smith-Asante (ESA): Congratulations on winning this year’s Most Outstanding Teacher Award. Before we delve into how it all happened, tell us a little bit about yourself.

Stella Gyimaah Larbi (SGL): I wanted to be a journalist and then a lawyer. But along the way, my first love, which is teaching, kept coming back and so I stuck to that.

I went to Benkum Secondary School after my junior high school education and it was at Benkum that the passion grew stronger, because my Literature in English teacher was super excellent and she taught the subject so well that I felt that was where I belonged.

So when I completed senior high school (SHS) and I had to go to tertiary school, I bought a form for the University of Ghana and then daddy said I should add training college. So when the admissions came, I had both Legon and the training college.

But daddy said I should "go to the training college" and then I went to the Presbyterian Women's College of Education, Aburi. Afterwards, I started teaching and then went back to the University of Education for my first degree, came back to Legon for my first masters and went back to Winneba again for my MPhil. And so that's all about me. I'm married with three kids.

ESA: So growing up, did you always want to be a teacher?

SGL: Yes, that's all I wanted to be. I think the drive actually came from seeing daddy and then my interaction with young people. I realised that some of them didn't see the essence of going to school. So I wanted to be in a position to give them reasons to be in school. And the best reason was to become a teacher.

Teaching

ESA: In which schools have you taught so far?

SGL: I've taught in three schools. I started off at Nana Ankobea Takyiwaa at Mampong Akuapem in the Eastern Region, and then I came to Adjiringanor and then the Adentan Community School.

ESA:: What subjects have you been teaching all along?

SGL: In the first year, I tried a lot of subjects. I taught Visual Arts, I taught Religious and Moral Education (RME) and I taught Science.

Visual Arts because when I was posted to Adjiringanor, the school already had an English teacher and so in order to keep the posting, I had to teach Visual Arts for which they needed a teacher. After teaching for a while, the head teacher realised that my area was English, so I was assigned to the subject.

I accepted posting again to a different school when I needed a transfer, so I accepted to teach science. I taught it for I about a month and then my English was given back to me.

ESA: Which of the subjects has been the most challenging?

SGL: I think they have been a learning curve instead. Visual Arts has rather got a lot of influence on the teaching of English in that, I'm able to design a lot of teaching aids out of the little background of Visual Arts that I got. A lot of creating stuffs. Science gave me the opportunity to learn more, and so none of them was challenging I should say. None.

ESA: How do you relate to your pupils or students?

SGL:: Just like a mother does, it's bitter sweet. When I have to put you on the right track, I'll do that. When we have to play along, we do that. Because, before you can touch the brain, you should touch the heart. Once you're able to touch the heart of the learners, you're good to go.

You are teaching and they pay attention. But when the ambiance or the environment is not conducive, you'll be teaching and think you're doing all your teaching but will realise later that their minds are actually somewhere else. So I relate with them beautifully and also strictly. Because sometimes if you don't put strict measures in place, they will not concentrate and they won't take your assignments seriously.

ESA: What has been your most challenging experience as a teacher and the most rewarding?

SGL: For the challenges with teaching, I think it cuts across. We have a challenge of infrastructure, furniture and teaching aids. All these challenges are there. But in the midst of all these challenges, one of the things I told myself was to be an extra teacher because, I am a teacher by choice.

I chose to be a teacher and whatever you choose to be, you become a better and greater version of it. In the midst of all those things not being available, I still try to go the extra mile to make the learners better.

ESA: Your most rewarding experience?

SGL: Being an outstanding teacher. But the most rewarding experience should be my learners being well positioned, seeing them grow and finding their place in the space.

Award

ESA: Did you ever anticipate that you were going to win the most outstanding teacher award?

SGL: Yes. Along the way.

ESA: How?

SGL: Okay, so in somewhere 2018, I got nominated in my district, which is the Adentan Municipality Education Directorate. I was declared the best teacher, outstanding teacher in my district and I got the opportunity to move to the next level, which is the region and there I won the most outstanding teacher for Greater Accra.

ESA: What year was that?

SGL: In 2019.

ESA: So 2018 and 2019?

SGLA: Yes, yes. And then in 2020, I got a recognition, so I happen to be a global youth advocate, a network that helps to push the sustainable development agenda. And so I won the global youth advocate of the year.

ESA: Have you won any other award apart from this?

SGL: Yes. So apart from best teacher, I've got other recognitions. The Young Global Leaders Network gave me a recognition, a citation, and the Teacher Training Association of Ghana also gave me a recognition award.

They organised the She Excellence Award and then I got a citation from them as well. I was also awarded this year by Humanitarian Awards Global. Also my church, International Central Gospel Church (ICGC) Holy Temple. I got a citation from the Precious Vessels of Virtue. And few others here and there.

ESA: Did it come with some money?

SGL: No, it didn't come with any money but it was rewarding even at that point, because you see that your job is being recognised, you see that you are doing something and people really appreciate what you are doing; it was good for me.

And so, when the opportunity came, I remember telling somebody that I'll go for the best teacher. I'll be the best teacher. And I think I got a tip off but I didn't know that was what that man wanted from me. I thought I was doing my thing.

Teaching, organising programmes for the young people, organising programmes for the teachers and then along 2018, when I won the best teacher for Adentan, I got a new head teacher, Ibrahim Mumuni.

So when Mr Mumuni came to the school, he would stand at the top and when he sees that I'm going out for break with the learners, he would take a picture. He would take a photo of what I'm doing. So he called me one day and said: “Mama Gee, I want you to be taking pictures; be keeping records of the things that you do because you can tell somebody that I've been doing this,
I've been doing that but where is the evidence of the things you've been doing?”

I didn't know he had plans. I thought I was just doing my thing. And so, from there, he would take the pictures if he realises that I'm not doing that. So I became intentional when I knew in 2019. Then I got the chance to apply for the nationals. It was then that I realised I had nothing to back up the things that I was doing. There should be pictures. You understand that pictures speak louder than words.

So I started taking pictures. When I organised any programme, I would take pictures, and then sometimes I became intentional. So, I video my lessons, especially when I'm teaching something new or I've come up with an innovation. I often asked permission from the head teacher and I'd video my lesson and post on YouTube.

So when the opportunity came, I just poured all in and then they came back and checked my things. I had something to show and I had told God that I wanted to win.

Processes

ESA: How did you receive news that you had won the ultimate for this year?

SGL:: We went through a vigorous process. You had to write about the things you were doing in the classroom, beyond the classroom, your teaching approach, community service, recognition of your work and how you helped your learners meet global standards. So in all of the things I submitted, there was an interview where you showed them everything - evidence based interview.

Evidence of the things you claim you're doing. Now, they will go online and check on the things you're doing as well, they'll come to your classroom to observe your teaching, look through attendance book, your lesson notebooks since you started teaching and look through your exercise books.

They check whether the exercises you gave your learners were smart; that is whether they were specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time bound. They also check your School Performance Improvement Plan; are you involved or you are just a passive teacher?

They also check your interaction with the parents of your learners to find out whether you support the parents with the placement of the child. That was one of my strong points, because once I identified the kind of learner a child is, for instance, if yours is not books, I follow you to your house, speak to your parents and help you fix properly after the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

So I've been helping them with placement and I got parents to testify to that fact. I'm having their children, some of them in the technical schools, doing amazingly well. We went through all those processes until the final day.

ESA: How many were you?

SGL: So the shortlist for the teaching category was 15. And then somebody won Best Primary Teacher, Best KG Teacher, Best Senior High School Teacher, Best Junior High School Teacher and then it got to the Second Runner-Up, and it came to First Runner-Up. I had told God to let me win. Did my faith shake at a point? No, but I was anxious. Because I didn't know what was going to happen. I just had an open mind.

ESA: People were winning awards and you were sitting there. You didn't know whether you were going to get any?

SGL: No, I didn't like those awards. I didn't like those awards because I told God that I wanted a house. Yes, I told God when I decided five years ago that I'm going for this. So as I was seated and they were mentioning the categories, I was just sitting down. And you know the interesting thing, my headmistress, Francisca Adu, had got so much confidence and love for me because of the things I do and she told me I was going to win.

She told me to relax when my name gets mentioned. Along the way, we made presentations so all those who took part had received their awards except for two of us.
When they mentioned my name, I remember I just put my hands on my head and I said: “Thank you Jesus”, because it was something I was praying for. I told God I wanted to be that mirror people would look at in the profession and have faith again.

People like to say the reward for teachers is in heaven, but I want to be that mirror people would look in and say they can enjoy on the land of the living, as the Bible says, before they die as teachers, and receive a reward in heaven also. So I’m receiving part here and the rest in heaven.

Teaching profession

ESA:: So would you advise or encourage any of your relations to be a teacher?

SGL: Not only my relations. I've got people I'm mentoring now to become teachers. I've got some of my learners who want to become teachers because of me. Just yesterday, I met a young lady, her name is Blessing. I wanted to pass by my seamstress’s shop and then she followed me there.

So when she came, she said: “Hello, Aunty Gyimaah, I've been admiring you from afar. And I was like really? She said, “Yes and I've read your books because I write books as well. I've read one of your books and I have one in my bag.”

She brought out the book and showed it to me. And what she told me was that she did journalism but now she wants to start teaching. Now, if because of me, because of the things I'm doing, people want to be teachers, then I don't have any reason not to encourage people to become teachers, because at the end of the day, they are not only going to change lives, they are going to impact generations.

So one of my kids definitely would become a teacher just like how daddy taught and coached me to become a teacher.

ESA: What next after the award?

SGL: I also want to be a better version of myself. I’m looking at being the first doctor in Ghana teaching in the basic school.

I don’t know how I’ll stay as a teacher in the basic school but I want to be the first, encouraging other teachers there to help create new strategies to make teaching and learning better.

I’m also looking at being in a position where my voice will be heard and then I can influence decisions around the table when talking about basic education. I’m also looking at being the lead trainer of teachers and young people across the globe. When we talk about people touching the lives of teachers, my name will be mentioned.

ESA: That means you plan on going to school again?

SGL: Yes, very soon.